Webb in the United States

NEW YORK –– Former CONCACAF boss Jeffrey Webb is now in the hands of US law enforcement authorities.

Webb was one of seven football officials held on corruption charges in Switzerland on May 27. Webb, of the Cayman Islands, was taken to New York by a three-man police escort today. Webb had earlier waived his right to fight the American extradition request.

Jeffrey Webb is now in custody in the United States.

The 50-year-old is a FIFA vice-president and is accused of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights.

US authorities are also seeking to have Trinidad and Tobago MP and Webb’s predecessor at CONCACAF Austin “Jack” Warner extradicted from his homeland to the United States to face trial related to corruption.

Under US federal rules, a charged defendant must be brought before a judge “without unnecessary delay” upon their arrival in the district in which charges are laid. Since Webb left Zurich on Wednesday, a court appearance is expected to take place soon.

The other six men arrested are fighting their extradition to the US, where the charges were laid. The men were held at the request of the US Department of Justice, which has indicted a total of 14 current and former FIFA officials and associates on charges of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption” following a major inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The investigation was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was widened to look back at the dealings of world football’s governing body over the past 20 years.

The Department of Justice’s indictment says that the corruption was planned in the US, and that American banks were used to transfer money.

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